South Florida Doctor Arrested in GBL Drug Trafficking Case
Miami, FL — A South Florida doctor affiliated with the University of Miami Health System has been arrested on charges of drug trafficking for allegedly importing GBL, a substance used to manufacture the illegal date rape drug GHB. Dr. Darion Garcia, an assistant professor of radiology, was taken into custody Thursday after a police investigation connected him to suspicious packages sent to a duplex he owns in Coral Gables.
According to an arrest affidavit, the investigation began last month when a package sent from France arrived at the duplex on Southwest 22nd Terrace. Garcia reportedly sent the package to the duplex, which was then intercepted by authorities.
A tenant at the property reported the delivery to law enforcement after noticing the package contained plastic bags filled with an unknown liquid. Upon further investigation, police confirmed the liquid was GBL, or gamma-butyrolactone, which can be converted into the illegal drug GHB. In its illegal form, GHB has sedative and euphoria-inducing effects and is often used illicitly as a date rape drug.
During the police operation, SWAT officers reportedly arrived at the duplex with guns drawn and forced entry into the unit once the package was received. A neighboring tenant, who asked to remain anonymous, shared his shock upon learning about the situation. “I never thought something like this would happen here. It’s concerning that this was happening right next door,” he said.
Dr. Garcia appeared in bond court on Friday, where the presiding judge expressed disappointment. “As a medical doctor, he went through years of education to help people. Seeing him here under these circumstances is unsettling,” the judge said. Garcia has since been released on a $15,000 bond.
The University of Miami Health System declined to comment on Garcia’s arrest. Jackson Health System, where Garcia held credentials to work, clarified in a statement that he was not an employee but had been authorized to work in their hospitals. Following the arrest, his medical privileges at Jackson have been suspended.
GBL, often found in certain industrial cleaning products, is a precursor chemical to GHB and is illegal to import or distribute in the United States for human consumption.
